Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-07

"dow dare you steal BIRDS neSt said
Brownie Indignantly "Go and put it back
where you got it Take away your dirty
handl"
Rips eyes glowed with rage He dashed
the nest to the ground. "Never you mind,
Miss" he said. "You think you are SO very
fine, but you're nothing but girl anyhow.
You'll get your come-up-ance. You'll get
your hair pulled when you won't know who
does it, Some feller'll pounce out on you in
the dark and scare you into fits, and you'll
never find out who it is When you've got
your best clothes on, somebody ii splash your
Write dress all over "Boys'll yell out, 'snub
nosel snub nosep at you when you come to
town. Somebody'n unpin your pink ribbon
sash unbeknownst, and pitch it into mud
puddle. And it'll be this same feller, every
time. You mind that!"
sect out" said Brownie, angrily.
ayes, an the same feller's got q bumblebee
in Jail in a hollyhock, and he'll let it loose in
your hair this minute. Wow-w-w"
He gave big soprano screech to mimic o
girl. At the same time he unprisoEeda great
fat bumblebee against Brownies black, curly
hair. She screamed in earnest. A laugh, q
wild Indian warwhoop, @ twinkling of bare
heels in double solnersault and the boy
vanished. He was as good as his word.
From that day he tormented Brownie till he
made life burden to her at times.
Every manner of deviltry that head of boy
could devise was set going by Rip, aided and
abetted by Tom and Percy Carstone. Tom
was great numbering boy with strong but
slow brain, which was behind his size and his
years. He knew better than to follow the
lead of Rip, nevertheless he did SO. Because
we know leaders to be reckless and bad, there
fore we follow them sometimes.
Petty thefts began to be noted about Lin
wood to an extent never before known. Who
committed them was a mystery.
"Sam, what becomes of all the eggs| said
Brownie "We can't get an egg for GUS
tard, any more"
"Miss Brownie" said Sam, soleInnly, otis
them boys There's pickins and stealins
aeoin' on about yer dat's a disgrace to a
'spectable neighborhood, It's things to eat
that's most gin'ally always STOLE A man wild
a head fur figgers would know from dat ar
fac 'twus boys done it," said Sam with a
modest PRIDE "Them derned boys!"
II wonder where the boys are," said Mrs.
Carstone one evening. "You ought to look
after them better, Shirley, l don't know what
YOU are about evenings. Tom and Percy are
out every night. There's Pet gone, too We
called him Pet when he was little, because he
was so delicate and pretty, and looked like a
girl, He was that cowardly that he would
scream with fright if your father SO much as
set him up on a gate post 1t seems as if he
ALWAYS would be afraid of the dark. think
he's getting over it lately"
Shirley might have told her mother what
r. ,t cho I'll nnf
II know where the boys 60 nights, man.
ma" said little s-year-old Harry. "fhey're
in Robbers Cave"
"What!" said Shirley.
"They are in Robbers Cave, that's where
they arc Shirley. They won't tell me, but
followed them one night. glimpsed at them
through the curtain. I'm not afraid OF the
dark"
Harry was brave little man, and belliger-
ent. -#t
"They steal corn, and eggs, and chickens.
nad roast them in the ashes, and eat them,
continued the child. "The smoke gets into
their eyes, and they get sold and muddy, but
they say the grub tastes ever so much better
than the cooking at home. They call itgrub.
"Where's Robbers Cavep
"Get the lantern, Smiley, and I'll take you
there. The enemy III surprise em. Rip Is
the robber chief, though he's the littlest
They've all learned to smoke, and they've go'
whisky there. They've lots of other things
too, and when they get enough, they're going
to run away, and Rips going to sell them and
they're going to start q robber band in thu
west, Rip says"
"Why didn't you tell me this before, Harrys
II only heard 'em talk last night. | foun:
their cave long ago. It's dug in the hillside
and covered with leaves and weeds and limb
Of trees. Nobody would ever know 'twa
Robbers Cave. They crawl in underground
and they lay flat rock over the hole They'v
curtain to shut out the light. When the.
hear noise they say 'douse yer glim.' Tha
means put out the light. They think it's th
awfulest fun"
All this time Shirley and the child wer
walking rapidly over stones, underground
and mud to an out-of- -the-road little ravine